Buncrana

Buncrana (Irish: Bun Cranncha) is a town in County Donegal, the northwest of Ireland, located on the Inishowen peninsula, along Lough Swilly. Neds Point Fort lies to the north of the town. It is the second largest town in County Donegal and the largest in Inishowen. It is only 10 kilometres from Derry city and 43 kilometres from Letterkenny.

Views of Buncrana

 

 

 

 

 

 

Points of Interest

 

» It achieved a brief notoriety in 1972, when after Operation Motorman it became the place of refuge for many Provisional Irish Republican Army members from Derry.

 

» Buncrana railway station opened on 9 September 1864, was closed for passenger traffic on 6 September 1948, and finally closed altogether on 10 August 1953. Lough Swilly Buses continues to servce the area with a bus service seven days a week with around 12 buses per day going to Buncrana from Derry and vice-versa.

 

» Buncrana is a twin town to Campbellsville, Kentucky, USA.

 

» Buncrana or Bun Crannach (Mouth of the river Crana) situated on the Eastern Shore of Lough Swilly is sometimes referred to as the capital of Inishowen and is the largest town in the peninsula.. Scenic walks along the banks of the Crana River lead to O'Doherty's Keep and the 18t century Buncrana castle. The Crana River itself is an important salmon and trout fishing river. The bridge which the Crana river flows through is called Castle Bridge. Near the Castle Bridge is a monument to one of the most important figures of the 1798 Rebellion, Theobald Wolfe Tone.

 

» Dunree Head contain Ireland's only military museum - the Guns of Dunree. The interpretative centre tells the story of its role in the fortification of Lough Swilly. A beautiful secluded berach is nearby.

 

» The Fort of Dunree has been restored and is now open to the public as a museum . This fort, which commands a majestic view of Lough Swilly, has an exhibition centre and audio-visual facility which outline the fort's and region's history.

 

» Buncrana is an important town in Inishowen, it has three miles of golden sands stretching towards Fahan. There is excellent fishing, boating, shooting, walks and golf, with a modern Leisure centre to be has there.

 

» In Lisfannon, just outside Buncrana, boasts an 18-hole course at the North West Golf Club.

 

» Tullyaravan mill, on the Dunree Road is a restored 19th century mill. Other points of interest are National Knitting centre, Swan Park, and Game Angling. At the shore front is a pitch 'n' putt course, a tennis court and a leisure centre.

 

» When the Spanish Armada was wrecked off the north east coast in 1588, a number of galleons sank in the vicinity of Inishowen Head, and one of these was located at Kinnagoe Bay by members of Derry Sub-Aqua Club. Four cannons in almost perfect condition were recovered and they are on display at Foyle College in Derry. Glenagivney, called the "Queen of the Inishowen Glens," runs inland from Kinnagoe Bay towards Lecamy. At Lecamy is an example of an ancient sweat-house. They were an early form of Turkish or sauna bath. It is believed that the almost enclosed chamber was heated like an oven and people crept in and then, having been sweated, rushed out to immerse themselves in cold water. Tradition has it that they were used as a cure for rheumatism and for temporary madness!

 

» Singer and composer Phil Coulter was the freedom of Donegal. The Derry-born musician, who has kept a home in Buncrana for nearly 40 years. Coulter, who is 66, received the award in recognition of his lifelong services to arts and music. Wicklow-based Coulter said his links with Inishowen go back a "long, long way" starting with holidays as a young child with his family in Lisfannon. He now uses "any excuse" to get back to Buncrana. One of Coulter's most popular songs, "The Town I Loved So Well", deals with the embattled city of his youth, filled with "that damned barbed wire" during The Troubles. In the late 1960s, he formed a writing partnership with Bill Martin and from this union several memorable songs would emerge. They wrote Sandie Shaw's Eurovision Song Contest winning entry, "Puppet on a String" (1967), which went on to become an international hit with more than 100 cover versions. They had another hit in 1968 with a song for Cliff Richard called "Congratulations", which finished 2nd at Eurovision. The Coulter-Martin partnership lasted more than fifteen years. During this time the team wrote for Dana, Richard Harris, Elvis Presley ("My Boy"), and the Bay City Rollers, for whom the team wrote nearly all of the band's hits.